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Questions - how to contain mint, and recs for perennial shrub
We just finished making planting beds around our house. On the south side, it is 4' wide by 30' long, broken up by 2 large window wells. On the west side, they are 2.5' wide by a total of 60' long, separated by the back patio slab. Both sections are full sun, especially the south exposure, and there really are no trees that shade either area at all.
ETA: We are zone 5, and have clay soil which we have amended some. We live along the front range so high winds can be an issue for us too.
DH asked for one of the sections under the kitchen & dining room windows to be an herb garden. I looked at the local nursery and there are some pretty hardy varieties of basil, mint, rosemary, and lavender that should do OK there. I know the lavender can get fair size and I'm not worried about the basil & rosemary, but I know mint will take over the yard.
At our old rental house, we had a huge mint patch (5' x 30') under the kitchen windows and just mowed it back every so often. I'd rather keep this contained. A guy at the nursery suggested planting the mint inside large buried pots to keep them from spreading beyond the size of the pot. Has anyone tried that?
The next question are the foundation plants. From what I've read here & in gardening books, I should try to get some kind of small(er) perennial to create uniformity in the beds, especially since they're against the house. Some of the full sun/drought-resistant plants at the nursery were:
Meadow Sage (salvia superba) - 16" tall x 20"
Little Spires Russian Sage (mini version) (perovska atriplicifolia) - 24" tall x 24"
Weigela Florida - 2' tall x 2-3' spread
Abbotswood Potentilla (potentilla fruticosa) - 3' tall x 3' spread
Crimson Pygmy Barberry (berberis thunbergii) - 1-2' tall x spread 1-2'
Petite Butterfly Bush (forgot to write down the exact type) - 3-4' tall x 3-4' spread
Any suggestions? I chose this list partially for price - there were more expensive plants, but I'd like to keep our budget. I'd love something with (almost) year-round interest since the rest of the beds will be mostly dead/dormant part of the year.
Thanks everyone!
Re: Questions - how to contain mint, and recs for perennial shrub
Yes, you can contain the mint doing what was described, but be sure the rim of the pot is well above ground and visible at all times.
I think 2.5' is too small for a foundation bed. I think it sould be 4' at minimum, and that the foundation shrubs should be evergreen.
ITA. This became a major disagreement which I finally dropped because it was "DH's project" - and the first time he's really been interested in doing anything outside since we bought our house 3+ years ago. He used landscape timbers, which I hope we can move out in a few years to expand.
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Like NB said you can bury a container but make sure the lip is well above the surrounding area. Personally I like it in an exposed container on a porch or kitchen windowsill so it's easy to harvest and you can put some annuals in the middle for color.
I'd go with a dwarf conifer in that small of a bed. They grow anywhere from 1-6" a year so they will be small for a long time. There are many that are better than junipers (prettier and less prickly). Otherwise you can try an evergreen broadleaf like boxwood some varieties do better in full sun than others. They are affordable and should be easy to find.
I think wiegla & butterfly bush would be good choices. I got some 'My Monet' wiegla Proven Winners on clearance at Shopko the year we bought our house. They stay small at 2'x2' have varigated foliage with pink tips on the new growth and have pink flowers. My only problem is I planted them too close to a black walnut tree we cut down (they aren't juglone tolerant).
Potentila - eeh it's just OK. Ugly in the winter and everyone has them.
Barberry - has those dang prickers and is considered invasive in many states. The Crimson pink variety is also not one I'd use because it seeds more than other barberry varieities. I went to a garden talk about shrubs and they mentioned 'Bagatelle' is one of the lest seed producing red and dwarf barberry plants.
Thanks Fox. I don't remember seeing a Potentilla in winter - maybe I'll add one to the back part of the yard later on where I won't see it every day except in summer.
Barberry is really common out here. I walk through the Botanic Gardens in the off-season, and started writing down their recommendations for xeric yards. It seems they really like Barberry varieties because they are everywhere. I hadn't thought about which seed more/less.
After looking online yesterday & checking with our extension office, I think we settled on a Mugo pine to use as our foundation plant - either "Mops" or "White Bud." I'll add a couple of the flowering shrubs in for color and put the herbs in around it all.
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Sounds like a good mix. If you have the scientific name you can read up about each of the conifers you're looking at here or here. They will give you growth information, the best place to site one, and some established pictures of each plant.
Yeah I had no idea about the barberry until I went to that talk given by one of our Ag Extension researchers. Like I said some varieties are supposed to be better than others. I only remember that variety because it was on my short list of plants to consider and was easy to find locally.
When I was a kid we had a row of potentilla in our front yard and I always thought they were so ugly when they weren't leafed out or blooming especially since they were the only shrub in the front. Let's just say I didn't get into gardening from my parents. ; )